Serious question, should we remove bookmarks or leave them in?

I found a 1953 train ticket from Grand Central Station in a copy of 'The Great Gatsby' I bought in St. Louis. A collector friend told me I should take it out and frame it separately to preserve it, but I feel like its story is tied to the book. I put it back in, but now I'm second-guessing. What's the right call when you find something really old?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameronn624d ago

Diana's got it right... the story is everything. I found a grocery list from 1978 in a used copy of a John le Carre novel. The whole plot is about spies and secrets, and here's this person's shopping list for eggs and bread. Taking it out would have wrecked the magic. That ticket belongs with Gatsby now, their stories are tangled up together. Preserving the feeling is more important than keeping things in perfect, separate boxes.

diana_black4d ago

What made you change your mind? I used to be on your collector friend's side, always taking stuff out to keep things separate and safe. Then I found a pressed flower in my grandma's old cookbook. Taking it out felt wrong, like I was breaking up the story. That ticket and that book have been together for 70 years. Their history is in them being together. I'd leave it right where it is.